Salvation Falls
by LadyHorror92
Summary: Michael fell to protect humanity, but Ava fell to be human. Years after falling from Heaven, Ava has made a life for herself working at a diner in the middle of nowhere. But her freedom can't last forever. When the end begins and she is reunited with the archangel she was once closest to, Michael, things between them change forever even as the consequences of her fall is revealed.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: _Look familiar? If so, that's because I posted this story earlier in the year but took it down after I think three chapters due to lack of motivation. But in my free time I've been writing just for the sake of doing so and actually like what I've written for this. I've decided to post this and keep it up since I now have a clear idea as to where I will take this story._**

_**Michael/OFC, and a somewhat AU take one the movie.**_

_**From what I understand, there are a lot of arguments floating around on whether or not there are female angels, but the seemingly most accepted view that I've come across is that angels are asexual. Well, in this fic there are male and female angels. This story really wouldn't work out otherwise. **_

_**Reviews are always welcomed, and something that I absolutely love reviewing on any story. So, please, I ask that you review. As always, something as simple as a smiley face is enough to make my day. I don't require much to smile!**_

**Summary: **_**Michael fell to protect humanity, but Ava fell to be human. Two years after falling from Heaven and cutting her wings, Ava has made a life for herself working at a diner in the middle of nowhere. But her freedom can't last forever. When the end begins, the fallen angel is reunited with the archangel she was once closest to, Michael, and things between them change forever even as the true consequences of her fall is revealed.  
**_

**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own **_**"****Legion"**_**. If I did, Ava would have been in the movie and things would have gone differently.  
**_

* * *

_Staring out over the seemingly endless array of clouds, Ava thought over what she was about to do, tucking a long lock of light blond hair behind her ear.  
_

_Any angel who dared to fall from Heaven would readily be sentenced to death, but Ava would gladly face death if falling meant she could be free. She loved her Father very much, but she couldn't live like this anymore. _

_For centuries she watched the humans, watched them interact and live their lives as they saw fit. _

_For centuries she longed to be one of them. _

_Not many angels felt as she did. In fact, the only other angel she could think of who may understand her feelings was Michael. _

_The archangel was her closest friend and they'd stood by each other's side since the beginning. If she had any true friends in Heaven, it was Michael. Lately, however, things between them had started to change. A hand on the shoulder lasted a few seconds longer than needed, a glance at one another lasted longer than necessary, and the mere desire to be near each other had intensified. Something between them had changed and she wasn't sure what. Angels didn't feel emotions the same way as humans. Perhaps once she fell she would understand it all, but for now she couldn't be sure of what she was feeling and dared not ask for advice on the matter due it being personal in nature and inappropriate to feel in the first place._

_The only thing that she was sure was that no matter how close they were, no matter how much Michael also wanted to walk among the humans, he wouldn't fall from Heaven. He was a soldier of God, and loyal to a fault, a trait she both admired and despised.  
_

_Once she had been like that, but not for a long time. _

_Sighing, she leaned against the dark pillar beside her. _

_Things in Heaven were falling apart at the seams to the point where Ava considered calling it a civil war. Gabriel, an egotistic and cold archangel, felt as though the humans deserved to be "cleansed" from the Earth and that they didn't deserve the life God had given them. Many others thought just as he did. From the rumors she'd heard in passing, it seemed as though God Himself was losing faith in man once again. _

_For a long time she'd considered falling and removing her wings, and now seemed like as good a time as any to do so. If a civil war or something was going to break out across Heaven she didn't want any part of it. She wanted to understand why humans did the things they did. Perhaps she was selfish, but just once she wanted to live life the way she wanted to, if only for a little while. _

_Gathering her strength, she took a few sure steps towards the edge of the balcony. If she was going to do it, it had to be now.  
_

"_I see you've decided to go through with it," a low and familiar voice said from behind her._

_Ava's steps came to a pause at the very edge and she closed her eyes. "I can't do this anymore, Michael. I can't continue living like this. Every day I watch the humans live with the freedom to make their own choices. It's torture."_

_Coming up to stand beside her, Michael said, "If you fall, you'll be hunted down by every angel in Heaven and killed."_

_A small smile found its way to her lips. "I doubt I'll be hunted for very long, if at all." Looking up at Michael with crystal blue eyes, seeing the frown on his handsome face, she explained, "You know as well as I do that too much is going on for most to be concerned about one subordinate who has decided to fall. Besides, I don't have Lucifer's intentions. I just want to… to be free. Is that really so much to ask for?"_

_Michael didn't answer immediately, but both knew the answer to the question. In Heaven, true freedom that was experienced by humans was too much to ask for._

"_I wish you wouldn't do this," Michael sighed. _

_Ava stared off into the clouds. "I wish you'd come with me…"_

_Taking her shoulders, the archangel turned her to face him and tilted her head up with his thumb and index finger to meet his eyes, a shade of blue darker than her own. "You know that I can't."_

"_I know," she whispered, placing her hand against his cheek. _

_Reaching up to hold her hand with his larger one, he asked sadly, "Is there nothing I can say to make you change your mind?"_

_She shook her head with an apologetic smile. _

"_You remember that it is my duty to kill any angel who attempts to fall?"_

_A lump formed in her throat and she nodded. Ever since Lucifer was cast out of Heaven Michael had been given the order to kill anyone who attempted to fall or follow their fallen brother's example. By all rights he should kill her where she stood for even uttering her intentions._

_For nearly a minute, Michael didn't speak, but when he did his voice was practically a whisper. "Gabriel will not understand and will try to hunt you down. I won't be able to keep your actions a secret for very long. I suggest you hurry and use all your knowledge to hide." _

_Blinking away the tears that had yet to fall, Ava stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Thank you, Michael." _

_Before he could even return the embrace, tears already spilling down Ava's fair cheeks, she stepped out of his arms. _

"_Ava…" Michael started, taking a step towards her._

_Giving him a tearful smile, stepping away from him, she murmured, "Goodbye."_

_Opening her arms and wings, she tilted back until she was toppling over the edge in a free-fall, leaving behind the only home she'd ever known and Michael._

…

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!..._

Groaning, Ava reached out and hit her alarm clock, ceasing the annoying sound. Rolling to her back, she stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the dream she just had, the memory of the day she fell from Heaven two years ago. So much had changed since she cut her wings from her back, nothing but ragged scars left in their place.

For a while she'd just wandered around aimlessly, unsure what to do and where to go. She wasn't hunted by her fellow angels, much to her relief, and some stress was taken off her shoulders. After about a week of walking down a road to nowhere, she was picked up by a man with one arm who took her to the diner he worked at. Apparently she looked hungry and homeless, which she was. She'd been starving, and she certainly did not look her best. Her clothes were too big for her, the shoes worn to nearly nothing, and she'd been covered in a layer of grime that saw to her demanding a shower.

Shortly after getting a good meal into her, the man, Percy, asked her what her name was. Thinking fast for a last name, she told him that her name was Ava Walker, and that was about the time his boss, a guy named Bob, started with the questions. To the best of her ability, she answered them but most she had no answer to and had to lie.

In the end, the man reluctantly allowed Ava to stay with him and his son Jeep in exchange for keeping the diner clean. It was meant to be a temporary arrangement until she got back on her feet, but it didn't turn out that way. In no time, she, Bob, Jeep, Percy, and Charlie all came to think of each other as family, as dysfunctional as they were. Roughly a year ago she'd managed to move into a small camper when a man trying to get rid of it stopped by the dinner and asked if he could just dump it there, tired of carting it around behind his truck and telling them they could keep whatever money they made from selling the scrap because he couldn't find anyone willing to pay money for the thing and just wanted it _gone_, unable to stand it anymore. That was hardly a shock, given that the unbelievably small camper smelled funky, was falling apart at the seams, and was just... unpleasant. Even with the repairs and touch-ups she and Jeep had done with it, all the pine scented air fresheners she hung, the thing was far from what could be called a home. It was so cramped, containing only a small bed, counter, and a small closet-like space, forcing her to head over to Bob and Jeep's larger trailer if she required a bathroom. And yet, she called it her home because that was what it was to her, and she happily kept it out back with the others. She didn't have much, but that shitty camper was hers, and she was happier than she'd ever been in Heaven.

Stretching and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Ava got out of bed. She had to be in the diner and working in roughly an hour and forty odd minutes. She really didn't have to be up so early to get ready, but Percy had a habit of making everyone breakfast about an hour before opening, and she wasn't missing Percy's pancakes.

Snatching up her clothes for the day and slipping on her shoes, she threw on her sweater, grabbed her toothbrush and shampoo, and headed outside towards Bob and Jeeps trailer to shower and brush her teeth. As expected, the two men were already gone, busy doing whatever it was they had to do.

Showering and taking care of other necessities, the fallen angel threw on the clothes she brought with her which consisted of a pair of faded jeans with holes worn through both knees and a white camisole. Adjusting the camisole, she threw on a short-sleeved, light blue blouse over it. Makeup was never her thing so the kit Charlie gave her sat untouched back in her camper.

Once she was all done with her morning routine, she stared at herself in the mirror for a moment, pondering over how much she'd changed since falling from Heaven.

Her light blond hair, its length once to her hips, had been cut to her shoulders, her once pale skin had tanned from being out in the sun often, and it was only a matter of time before she showed signs of aging. Angels didn't age, but now that she technically wasn't an angel anymore she would. Though she would retain her angelic agility, strength, and a few other perks, she would age and one day die like a human. Until that day, she strived to live life to the fullest.

But she feared that her happiness would be short lived.

Lately she'd been having terrible, horrific nightmares. Bob, Jeep, Charlie, Percy, and others played a part in each and every nightmare, even Michael. The dreams left her sweaty and shaken. Sometimes tears were even shed. Every night she prayed, but she longed to contact Michael and seek his guidance.

Her superior and friend always knew what to do. She missed him terribly to the point where sometimes she thought she might cry. To contact him just once would be enough, but her link to her fellow angels was broken the day she fell. Unless another angel was on Earth she would be unable to communicate with them telepathically. The silence often filled her with a sense of loneliness that she never felt in Heaven.

Sighing, she found some earrings she'd left in her sweater pockets and put them on before grabbing her work uniform and leaving the trailer, shivering slightly from the cool morning air that would soon turn into a sweltering heat as she dropped off her clothes and toiletries in her camper before heading into the diner.

As soon as she walked through the door, she was hit with the mouthwatering aroma of pancakes.

Looking over his shoulder when the bell above the door rang, Percy smiled and said, "'Bout time you got up, sleepin' beauty. How many you want?"

"Two, please," she replied, taking a seat at the counter while the one armed man mixed up some more batter. "Where are the others?"

"They already ate. Bob's in the office, Jeep's workin' in the garage, and Charlie's doing Lord knows what."

Ava huffed. "How much do you want to bet she's smoking?"

"Sweetheart, I'd bet my good arm that she's out back smokin'.

The fallen angel laughed a bit for a second the rested her head on the counter, fighting a coming headache. Before long, two pancakes and a glass of milk were set in front of her.

"You doin' all right, Ava?" Percy asked, concerned, fixing her with a look of fatherly worry. "You seem out of it."

Lifting her head from the counter, she nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a headache."

"Another one?"

Before she could answer, Bob walked out of the office. "Why don't you go get your head checked or somethin'? Take Charlie with you and get 'er out of our hair for a few hours," Bob grumbled, making her smile.

At eight months pregnant, Charlie had been giving them all grief. Especially poor Jeep who was so fond of the woman that he tried daily to get her to keep the baby that wasn't even his. If she had a car or a license, Ava would have gladly taken Charlie into the city for a while.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said instead, smile still in place, and cut into the pancakes.

Despite the lighthearted talk, Ava had a sinking feeling that something bad was going to happen.

* * *

_**Review, please! Reviews let me know that you wish for more!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **_**I just want to point out ahead of time that Ava does have a role to play and isn't just some random angel who fell just so Michael can have a romantic interest.  
**_

* * *

Wiping down the counter seemed like a pointless task. They were out in the desert and no matter how much Ava scrubbed the dirt and dust found its way back in a matter of seconds. More than once Bob complained that she wasn't doing her job right and she always snapped right back that he should take over for a day and see how much good her little rag, bucket of water, broom, and mop did. Of course, he never did, but he would stop being a thorn in her side for a while after she said it.

Washing the rag and ringing it out in the bucket, she sat it to the side to dry before getting a glass of ice water and going on her evening break, if it could really be called a break. Business was either slow or dead every day, never busy, and usually the only time people did stop in was in the morning or afternoon to grab a bite on their way to civilization or to figure out where in the world they were. A majority of the day was one big break for all of them. In fact, the only people visiting Paradise Falls now were a couple and their daughter with their car broken down, and a man that had just come in who was lost.

With people around, they at least had to give the illusion that they were working, forcing Ava to keep herself a little busy here and there throughout the day. As for everyone else, they were all doing something too, though not all of what they were doing could be called work.

Charlie had been smoking a little while earlier, and last time she checked on Jeep, he wasn't working on the family's car, but working on something for Charlie instead. Bob had gone out to get Jeep moving so Ava hoped the family would get back on the road soon. They weren't exactly the most pleasant of customers. The husband and his daughter didn't seem too bad, granted the daughter was overly disrespectful, but the mother – Sandra, she believed was her name – was another story. That woman had been rude to Percy and gave the man that was lost – Kyle – the snake eye and Ava got the sense that it was because of their color.

The sooner that family was gone and on their way the better.

Sighing heavily, Charlie sat down in the stool beside her, hand on her belly.

"Kicking again?" Ava asked, offering her glass of water, temporarily forgetting about the pain in the ass family sitting in the diner.

Taking the offered drink, Charlie nodded. "Let me tell ya, I hope to God that baby boy's mama wants to be a soccer mom. This kid's got one mean kick."

Unable to help herself, Ava laughed.

"Oh, you're laughin' now, but just you wait 'til you got a kid in your belly," Charlie snapped in mock annoyance.

Her laughter slowly faded as she thought about the idea of having a child of her own. Many times it had crossed her mind but she wasn't sure she would make a good mother. She'd technically never been a child. How would she know how to take care of one?

"Wanna feel?" Charlie asked suddenly.

Ava stared at her. "Huh?"

Indicating to her belly, she replied, "Baby boy's kickin'."

"Oh, um, all right." Hesitantly, she placed her hand on her friend's stomach, eyes widening when she felt the baby kick. It wasn't the first time she'd felt it, but it always amazed her.

"Excuse me," Sandra called impatiently. "Could I get another coffee?"

"You'd think she'd have sympathy for a pregnant woman's swollen ankles," Charlie grumbled. Taking a few more sips of water, she got up to get the woman her coffee but not before she noticed the sudden change in Ava's demeanor. "Y'all right?"

No, she wasn't. All of a sudden she felt… _wrong_. It was like something was standing behind her, waiting to strike, but nothing was there. A cold shiver ran down her spine and she rubbed her arms. Something wasn't right, she was sure of it now, she just didn't know what was the problem.

"Um, yeah, just a bad feeling is all," she replied, not wanting to worry the others.

Charlie huffed and whispered, "Feeling you got probably mean these people will be stuck here all night."

She put on a smile that failed to reach her eyes. "Yeah, probably."

She sincerely doubted it.

Shortly after Charlie got up to get the woman her coffee, Bob stepped inside, looking a little upset and annoyed.

Knowing better than to ask what was wrong with customers around, Ava just gave him a frown and cocked her head, unsurprised when he ignored her.

Turning to the couple, he raised his hand in a pinching gesture and said, "He's about this close to wrapping it up."

The husband – Howard – looked about ready to chew him out but Bob's attention was elsewhere.

Curious, Ava followed the man's gaze straight to the TV. The old thing was on the fritz again.

Angrily, looking ready to hit something other than the TV, Bob stormed over to it and stood on a chair. "What is wrong with you today?" he asked the machine, hitting it a few times.

A low rumble caught Ava's attention and she looked back towards the door. "Anybody hear that?"

Percy shook his head. "All I hear is that damn TV's static." Shaking his head, he said to Bob, "I told you to get the satellite TV, but you didn't wanna listen."

"What the hell do I need that crap for?" Bob demanded, hitting the TV.

"The History Channel, man!"

"I got all the history I can take," Bob retorted.

Off to the side, Charlie mumbled, "That's for sure."

"What's your beef now?" he asked. "You don't need to be watchin' this, anyway."

For a second there was silence.

Despite knowing it was better to keep her mouth shut, Ava added, "Would be nice to have Animal Planet."

"Of, for God's sake, don't _you_ start!" Bob snapped, earning a smile from both Percy and Charlie. His focus back to the TV, he smacked it a few more times. "All right, baby. Come on, this is gonna be it right here. Come on." A handful of hits later, the TV started working. Sort of. Pleased with himself, Bob turned to everyone. "Clear as day."

"Uh, Bob?" Ava began, frowning at the TV.

"What?"

Percy pointed at it. "What the hell's that?"

Looking back at the fixed TV, Bob scratched his head. "It's, uh, one of them test things."

"Is it just that channel?" Ava asked, though she was already certain it wasn't a test since it said that it wasn't.

Unsure, he changed the station and was met with the same thing.

"Yeah," Charlie started. "That don't look like a test."

Behind Bob, Kyle again asked if he could use the phone, this time offering money. Hardly concerned over letting someone in his office with a twenty-dollar bill in his face, Bob took the money and his eyes went back to the TV. "In the office past the kitchen."

Nervously, Sandra spoke up and asked, "Excuse me, but if this were an actual emergency wouldn't they be giving us instructions on what to do?"

"She's got a point," the fallen angel agreed, looking from her then back to the TV. It seemed like it was screaming at her that something was wrong.

Looking to Percy, Bob suggested, "Why don't you check out that old radio of yours, see if there's any news about the TV."

With a quick nod, Percy went to his near ancient radio and turned the dial. They were all met with nothing but silence. Ava wasn't an expert on radios but she was fairly certain it should be working fine despite its age.

And then the speculations came.

Howard and Sandra were going on and on about how it might be a quake and that got everybody else talking about it, and then Audrey suggested terrorists and that got her mother all flustered.

Though she'd had a bad feeling, Ava doubted it was any of those things. The feeling felt worse than terrorists.

Having lived as long as she had, she'd confront various forms of evil and _this _feeling she had didn't necessarily feel evil. That was what worried her. If evil was not heading their way, what was?

Having had enough of it all, Bob stomped over to the TV and turned it off. "For cryin' out loud, there's no use speculatin'. Look, I'll just call my brother up. He'll probably know somethin'."

"I don't think so," Kyle said, coming back into the main room.

"What do you mean?"

"I was just on the phone," he said, frustrated. "The shit cut off in the middle of my conversation. I want my money back."

"Oh this is perfect," Sandra whined. "Absolutely perfect!"

Ava turned to face her. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

"And I should listen to _you_," she asked incredulously. "You're just the help!"

Ava gaped at her.

"Hey, hey, hey, simmer down!" Bob interrupted, putting a hand on Ava's shoulder the moment she took a step towards the woman. "Nothin' to get excited about. They're probably just workin' on the lines. Besides, Jeep's gonna have your car fixed up quick, then you're gonna be on your way."

Running her hand through her hair and biting her tongue, Ava turned away from Sandra and walked over to the window, peering outside.

Things were tense enough at the moment without Sandra getting on her case because she was the "janitor". If she knew that she sometimes helped Percy cook the woman would probably have heart failure. But Sandra was the least of her current worries. Something was coming, she knew it, felt it. Along with it, however, was something familiar, something that made her feel comfortable. The conflicting feelings were likely what was causing her headache and she excused herself to go to her camper and get some medicine for it.

And then a couple things caught her eye as she stepped out into the heat.

Off in the distance, she noticed some strange clouds and frowned. They didn't act like regular clouds. Along with the strange clouds, there was what looked to be an old beat up car coming down the road. As it drew near, the bad feeling grew closer with the car to the point where Ava quickened her pace to a jog so she could get to her camper, get her medicine, and hurry back inside.

She'd been hoping it would just drive on by.

Darting back inside through the back, Ava reached the dining room just as the front door opened. To her surprise, it was an old woman, not the monster her fear made this person out to be. Whatever she'd been expecting, a friendly looking woman in her eighties or nineties wasn't it. Maybe she'd misinterpreted her negative feeling.

Giving the woman a half smile, Charlie said, "Have a seat wherever you want, ma'am. Specials are on the board."

"Thank you, dear," the elderly woman said politely, finding a vacant table she liked and taking a seat.

Picking up a menu and her note pad, Charlie walked back over to the lady and held the menu out to her.

Hands folding neatly in front of her, the woman said, "I already know what I want."

"Okay," Charlie replied, taking out a pen. "What'll it be?"

"I'll have a steak, please."

"And how'd you like that cooked?"

"Rare if you would. And water, no ice."

"Comin' right up."

Just as Charlie was walking away, the woman asked, "Charlie, is it?"

The younger woman nodded. "Yeah."

"What an unusual name for a girl," she commented lightheartedly.

"So they say. I'll be right back with your order." Walking to the counter, she came up beside Ava. After handing Percy the order and listening to the woman talk to Sandra for a moment, Charlie commented, "Nicest customer we've had in a while."

Ava still wore a frown. "I guess."

Rolling her eyes, she said, "You're the most paranoid person I've ever met."

"Paranoia begets all else most of the time," Ava replied, leaning back against the counter.

"Had that kind of motto back when I served," Percy commented. "In small doses, paranoia can keep ya alive."

Ava liked to think that was true.

Over the past two years she kept her eyes and ears open for any sign of trouble that could be the cause of angels, and that sometimes caused her to be overly paranoid about things that were likely nothing. The only signs of true trouble she'd come across that included negatively familiar feelings were in the past few months leading up to the meeting of the old woman, Gladys. Though she couldn't pinpoint it, there was something familiar about the elderly woman, which was strange since they'd never met.

"Here ya go, Charlie," Percy said, placing the rare steak on a plate and passing it off to the pregnant woman who took it to Gladys.

Sighing, Ava looked to the man sitting at the counter. "So, where are you heading?"

"Court hearing," he replied, cutting his pancakes a little too harshly. "Was trying to get an extension or somethin' when the damn phone cut out."

"I'm sure you'll make it there in time," she said with an assuring smile.

"'Least you think so," he grumbled.

Patting him on the shoulder, she went in search of her rag. With the door opening and closing so much in the past few minutes a lot of dust and dirt had blown in.

Sparing a glance at Gladys as she wiped down the counters once again, Ava saw her talking Charlie and both were smiling and talking about the baby. It seemed like a nice enough conversation, especially since Charlie didn't care much for baby talk. Maybe everything was okay after all.

"But it's gonna burn," Gladys said quietly.

Or not.

Snapping her head around, Ava stared at the old woman before looking to Charlie.

Charlie froze, stunned. "What'd you just say?"

With a bright smile, Gladys repeated, "I said, your fucking baby's gonna burn."

By now everyone was staring at the lady in shock while Charlie, placing a hand on her belly, slammed the bill down on the table. "Go to hell, lady!"

Unconcerned, Gladys dug into her steak as Charlie stormed off.

Ava debated over following her friend, but stayed behind, staring at Gladys. Hearing movement behind her, she saw Bob and Jeep coming out of the back to see what was going on.

"All those babies are gonna burn," Gladys said merrily around a mouthful of steak despite the flies coating it and buzzing around her face.

Smiling nervously, Sandra started, "Gladys, um…"

"Shut up, you stupid fucking cunt!" Gladys shouted angrily, head whipping up to glare at the woman. "All you do is complain, complain, complain!"

"What?" Howard looked to his mortified wife while Audrey giggled. "What? What did you just say?" he demanded, rising from the booth.

Sandra tried to get him to sit back down. "Howard, no, no, don't!"

Ava looked at the woman and the pieces started falling into place.

"I don't know who you think you are," the enraged husband began, storming over to Gladys. "But I'd like you to apologize to my wife."

The nightmares being more frequent, the headaches, the TV and radio not working, how Gladys reacted to Charlie being pregnant, the bad feeling that had followed her to the diner…

"Get away from her!" Ava shouted, running towards Howard to get him out of the way.

She wasn't fast enough.

Before anyone could pull him out of harm's way, Gladys rose from her seat and sank her teeth deep into his neck, biting off a large chunk of flesh before spitting it out. When she glared at everyone in the diner, her eyes were black and her teeth were sharp and pointed.

"Howard!" Sandra screamed, watching in horror as her husband fell to the floor, clutching at his gushing neck.

Flipping over the table as though it weighed nothing, the woman shouted, "You're all gonna fucking die!"

Knowing what the woman had become, Ava grabbed the steak knife from the floor and lunged at her, ready to stab her former brother or sister in order to protect her friends. There was just one minor miscalculation. While she still retained her strength and agility from being an angel, Ava had fallen and lost a portion of her strength.

This angel had not fallen.

Batting away the blade with ease, Gladys grabbed Ava by the throat, cutting off her air supply and lifting her a good inch off the floor. "Starting with you!" she hissed at her, flecks of blood spraying onto Ava's face.

Ava clutched at the old woman's hands, dropping the knife and digging in her nails as the pressure built up in her head and her lungs begged for air. Never before had she been strangled and never had it been a threat for her. She'd been in her fair of fights while she was an angel in God's army, but while it was possible for an angel to be killed, the notion of strangulation just wasn't something any angel had to worry about. Now she felt her vision blurring as she struggled to breath, unable to brace herself to fight seeing that she couldn't touch the floor.

Before Gladys could snap her neck, Percy threw his frying pan and hit the possessed woman in the face. Followed was a sickening crack and Gladys released her hold on Ava's neck, dropping her to her hands and knees.

Coughing madly and holding her tender neck, Ava was dragged to safety by Jeep.

"You all right?" he asked, moving her hand away and looking at her neck.

"I'm fine," she rasped, coughing.

Peeking over the counter, she saw the angel straightening. The hit hadn't killed her. It just pissed her off.

With an inhuman scream, Gladys ran forward, jumping over Audrey, and climbed up the wall as Bob grabbed his shotgun and began firing.

"What the fuck, man?" Kyle shouted, backing up and stumbling over chairs in his haste to put more space between him and Gladys.

Ignoring the ache in her throat, Ava rushed to her feet and went to the stunned Audrey. Grabbing the girl's shoulders, she shoved her under the table. "Stay down!"

Dropping down behind Bob, Gladys backhanded him, sending him and the weapon flying.

Without hesitation, Jeep hurried over and picked up the gun. But once he had the woman in his sights, he froze.

"Shoot her, Jeep!" Percy shouted.

The expression on Jeep's face told Ava all she needed to know. He couldn't do it.

With a sickening laugh, Gladys said to him, "You will never save her."

"Shoot the bitch!" Percy repeated desperately.

Screaming, Gladys ran towards Jeep, intent on killing him.

Gunshots rang out through the diner and everyone fell silent as the woman fell to the floor. Those shots didn't belong to a shotgun. Looking to the source of the sound, Ava's blue eyes landed on Kyle, his silver handgun still smoking.

Shaking, Sandra fell from the booth and crawled to her husband's side, begging for help.

Swallowing hard, Ava helped the young girl back into the booth before collapsing beside her.

This wasn't happening. It _couldn't _be happening. Angels didn't possess people, that wasn't allowed and was a serious offense in Heaven. Only a direct order from God could such a thing be permitted.

What was going on up there? She almost didn't want to know, but at the same time she did. Being cut off from Heaven meant she wasn't privy to what went on. Ava, once a respected angel, was left in the dark. That fact never truly hit her until now when things were going downhill fast.

"Audrey!" Sandra called, as Percy and Kyle got Howard off the floor.

Getting out of the booth, Ava let Audrey up but didn't follow as she raced after them. Instead, she went to Charlie. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. You? How's your neck?"

"It'll be fine, just hurts," she assured her. "How're Bob and Jeep?"

"Bob's gonna have a bump on his head, and Jeep's…" Before she could finish, Jeep had his hand over his mouth and was running back to the restroom. "A little shaken."

"I can see that." Eyes turning to the dead woman, Ava went to the back and found a large role of plastic. Walking to the body, she said, "Give me a hand with this."

Charlie stared at her. "Why me? Why not get Bob or Jeep?"

"Just help me."

Grumbling, Charlie took one end of the plastic and helped unroll it before they splayed it out over the body, trying not to look at the pool of blood beneath it.

Ava wasn't squeamish about blood, nor was Charlie, but neither wanted to be so close. At one point Ava could have cared less, but over the two years of being human she'd developed different habits, morals, and a different view of things. She'd changed.

Backing away from the body when they finished, the two went to wash their hands before sitting at the counter far away from Gladys.

Resting her head on her arms, Ava tried to clear her head in hopes of hearing a whisper from another angel. As usual there was only silence. Maybe if she lowered the shields she'd put in place around her she might be able to get through to Michael or another angel, but the risk of alerting a hostile angel was too great. Just because she figured no one would come after her did not mean she hadn't taken precautions to hide herself from them.

The minutes ticked by slowly and Ava was just starting to relax when she heard the screech of tires. Not a second later, Bob hurried out of the restroom and out the front door just as Kyle, Sandra, and Audrey helped Howard back inside.

"What's going on?" Ava asked, taking off her blue blouse and rolling it up into a makeshift pillow for the wounded man on the floor.

"There are flies _everywhere_!" Audrey exclaimed while her mother and Kyle eased Howard to the floor.

Ava stared at her. "Flies?"

Curious with a sense of dread flooding her system, she went to the front door and was nearly run over by Percy.

"Don't go out there, Ava," he warned, taking her by the arm and pulling her away as Bob reentered, locking the door behind him.

A few seconds later the buzzing sound grew in intensity and the sunlight was blocked out by a massive swarm of flies.

Eyes widening, Ava looked out the windows in horror while everyone else stood back. This couldn't be happening… First the possessed woman, now this? What was worse, Ava got the feeling that this was only the beginning.

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	3. Chapter 3

The order had been given. Michael was to kill the unborn child who would one day lead mankind out of darkness while his fellow angels wiped out the rest of the humans, creating a clean slate. That was an order Michael couldn't follow.

Unable to follow that order, he fell from Heaven to protect the child. In order to protect that child and its mother, he would need help. There was only one individual he could think of who would possibly help him.

Ava.

He thought about her daily, wondering if she was enjoying the life she chose. There were times when he would try to locate her and watch her as he would with any human, but it was nearly impossible to do so. As sure as she had been that no one would hunt her down she'd still made sure that she was hidden from the angels, though many assumed that he knew where she was simply because they'd been so close. Gabriel had been furious that Michael allowed Ava to fall and refused to believe that he knew nothing.

For Ava, Michael angered not only his fell angels and archangels, but God as well.

There was a lot that could be said about the wrath of God, and _no one_ wanted to be on the receiving end, and for that Michael also did not wish to see Ava again. Michael was lucky to have been given another chance to prove himself a loyal soldier of God, and it was her fault that he'd been put in such a terrible position. Trust in him as a friend and soldier had been greatly shaken after he allowed her to fall. Trust that would be hard to get back.

Had God desired, Michael knew He could locate Ava despite her cloaking herself, but as she'd predicted there was too much going on for anyone to be overly concerned with her, leading up to the chance Michael was given to prove himself once more by killing the unborn child. An order he couldn't, _wouldn't_, follow.

As angry as he still was with Ava, he did need her help and had a feeling he knew exactly where she was.

Occasionally, he'd watch Charlie and those she was with to see how she was doing and would come across a woman whose face was blurred. The identity of the woman had to be Ava, but he couldn't waste time trying to figure it out. Whatever time Michael did have it was steadily running out.

The flies has since come and gone, leaving the sky clear and no obstacles in the road. Still, even pushing one hundred in the cop car, the drive to Paradise Falls where the mother and her child were located was long.

The drive did give him time to contemplate how exactly he was going to go about protecting the mother and child. The possessed would be a challenge, but Gabriel would be the real problem. His brother was blind to the potential of the humans and did not love them as he should. He would never understand that what God needed was to see that there was still hope for them. If he could find Ava, she may be able to aid him when it came down to a fight with Gabriel, but that would mean he'd have to tell her about his order. Telling her would be risky. If she discovered that he was to kill the child, she may not trust him. They all may not trust him. No, he would keep his order to himself. It was for the best.

After what seemed like days rather than hours, a dot in the horizon steadily grew larger until Michael could make out the shape of a small structure that could only be Paradise Falls.

Standing outside were three people. Two he recognized as Bob and Jeep, the other he did not recognize holding a shotgun. Apparently some new customers had arrived after he fell and that things had taken a turn for the worst.

Upon seeing the cop car, Bob took the shotgun from the other man and moved towards the front of the diner, instantly appearing tense. Something must have happened. Increasing his speed, Michael drove to the diner and skidded into the dirt parking lot.

As he got out of the car, a young woman ran out of the diner wearing a look of relief with a hand on her swollen belly. It was the mother of the child, Charlie.

"Charlie, wait!" Jeep warned, hurrying towards her.

When she realized that something wasn't right, Charlie came to a stop and stared at him, and Michael stared right back. A moment later Bob, Jeep, and the other man stepped in front of Charlie, forming a protective shield around her.

Pumping the shotgun, Bob leveled it at Michael. "Take one more step and I'll drop you right there."

Michael had no doubt that he would try, but instead of showing fear that he didn't feel, he asked, "Is that how you greet all your customers?"

"Mister, after what we've been through, you're lucky we don't shoot you first and greet you later." After a beat, Bob then said, "Now, let me see them teeth."

Staring at Bob, Michael was momentarily confused at the request to see his teeth. Then it occurred to him that they may have already had an encounter with the possessed and feared that he was the same as them.

Not doing as ordered fast enough, Bob snapped, "Teeth, goddamn it! Let me see 'em!"

Deciding it would be best to put their fears at ease, he showed them his teeth.

"No shark teeth, Pop," Jeep said and upon seeing so for himself, Bob relaxed a fraction.

"Okay, then," Bob said with a nod. "How 'bout you tell us your name?"

"Michael."

Hesitating briefly, Bob lowered the shotgun and stepped towards him. "Sorry about that, Michael. We had this old lady in here who went crazy in my place. She had these teeth – never seen anything like it. Practically bit a man in half."

Michael was only half listening. Somewhere, he sensed a familiar presence. It was faint and every time he tried to pinpoint who it was the individual would block him out using a technique known only by angels.

Continuing, Bob asked, "What are you doin' out here anyway? You don't look like any policeman I ever saw. Even one from L.A. But he's gotta be, right?" he asked the others. "I mean, who the hell would be crazy enough to steal a cop car?" Seeing Michael's blank stare, Bob tensed and his grip on his weapon tightened.

Looking to his right, Michael saw a body wrapped in plastic and immediately sensed that it had been an angel. Returning his gaze to the group before him, he sized them up. They didn't appear to be heavily armed and Charlie had rushed outside without a note of concern.

A grim thought came to him and he looked at them. "You don't know, do you?"

"Don't know what?" the man he didn't recognize asked.

Speaking up, Charlie said, "We don't know anything. Nothing works. The TV, the radio, the phone."

Sighing, Michael shook his head and walked toward Charlie. "I'm running out of time."

"Now, you just hold on there, fella." Bob stepped in front of him, blocking him from the young woman and raising the shotgun. "You better start talkin', or you just get the hell outta here."

His patience wearing thin, Michael pulled the shotgun from Bob's hands and aimed the man's weapon at his head. No one would stand between him and his self-given order to protect Charlie and her unborn child.

The stranger pulled out a handgun and leveled it at him while Jeep stepped in front of Charlie.

"Hey, Dad," Jeep started, voice shaking ever so slightly. "Just tell him you're sorry."

"Hey, hey, hey, son!" called another man whom Michael saw to be Percy, rushing towards them from the diner. "Son, now, I'm sure you don't wanna go spillin' blood for no good reason in front of all these decent people now. Now, what do ya say about just lettin' Bob go? Then you can be on your way, nice and easy."

Michael didn't want to spill the blood of these people, but thus far they stood between him and Charlie. That just wouldn't do.

Staring blankly at the man before him, he placed his finger on the trigger and prepared to pull it.

"Michael, don't do it," a too familiar voice pleaded from the doorway of the diner.

Taking his eyes off the man in front of him, Michael's dark blue eyes met the sky blue ones he knew so well.

"Ava."

Everyone outside frowned, glancing from her to Michael and back as she slowly approached him.

Hand resting on her belly, Charlie fidgeted a bit and stare at Ava as she drew closer to him. "You know this guy?" she demanded.

Ava glanced at her but otherwise paid no attention to her, all her focus on Michael as she maneuvered through the small group to get to her. Her eyes flickered from his to the shotgun he held and he saw her swallow nervously, knowing full well that he would pull the trigger if he felt so inclined to do so.

She'd changed greatly in the time they'd been apart, appearance-wise, but she was still just as lovely as she'd always been. What else had changed was the expression in her bright blue eyes. Her eyes had always been windows to her soul, but he saw a menagerie of emotions playing out in her eyes that were new.

Fear, concern, happiness, confusion, dread…

"Ava," Percy started, stepping forward as she neared Michael, a look of panic mixed with confusion on his face. "Don't."

She glanced back at him, flashing him a faint smile before turning her attention back to Michael. Raising her hand, she slowly grasped the barrel of the shotgun, urging him to aim away from Bob. "Whatever's going on, he doesn't need to die," she said quietly, blue eyes unblinking as she stared into his. "Please."

Michael gave little indication that he was considering her plea, but his finger loosened over the trigger ever so slightly in response.

Ava begged for nothing, not once in her long life, and yet she begged for this man's life. It was a change he had not readily expected but could hardly find surprising, she being such a compassionate individual.

"Michael, please…" she trailed off slowly upon noticing his frown deepen and his attention split between the situation and something else. "What is it?"

Had she really blocked herself off from her fellow angels that she did not know? That she could not _hear_?

Taking a step back, shotgun still leveled at Bob's head, Michael turned to look off into the distance as the whispers of the other angels reached his ears. They were close and drawing ever closer by the second. By nightfall, they would be overwhelmed in what would become the first test.

"Michael?" Ava pressed, following his gaze.

Sighing, Michael replied, "They're here." Then, making a call, he shoved the shotgun back into Bob's hands. "You're going to need this."

The more gun hands the better, and Michael was not going to be picky with who he armed, not when everyone was so vastly outnumbered.

He walked back towards the trunk of the police car with Ava close behind, silently complying with an unspoken request.

How many times in the past had she known what he wished without his asking? Too many times to count, that was for certain.

"Wait," Charlie called. "Who's coming?"

"More like her," the arch angel replied, picking up three machine guns.

Frowning, Kyle asked, "What do you mean, like her?"

Michael didn't answer this time as he had far more important things to attend to, and he said to Ava, "Take as many bags as you can carry inside, but make sure one remains in the trunk."

"Got it," she replied, retrieving a large bag of ammunition and another bag filled with handguns.

A frown tugged at Michael's lips in regards to her inappropriate response. In another time she would be as professional as ever with "yes, sir" and "no, sir" responses. That was obviously a thing of the past.

After handing off a weapon to Jeep, Bob immediately spoke up, concerned, "Hold on, I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Dad, I can handle it," the boy insisted, clutching the gun uneasily.

"He can handle it," Michael agreed. "He doesn't have a choice."

"Are things that bad?" Ava asked, standing close behind him.

"Worse," was his short reply before handing off a handgun to Charlie. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he said to the soon-to-be mother, "Don't do anything brave."

For the love of God, he hoped she listened to him as he stepped inside, warning a mother and her daughter to hurry back in.

If she didn't, he feared that the humans would lose this war before it truly began.

"Hey, hold up," Ava started, hurrying up behind him. "Why are you here? Did..." she paused, glanced at everyone as they returned inside, then continued in a hushed tone, "Did _He_ send you?"

Michael hesitated. "The situation has become complicated."

"How complicated?"

"God's faith in man has been lost again, only this time He seeks to do a more thorough job of... cleansing the planet," he explained once they were out of earshot, knowing that a private chat would be hard to come by for a good while.

She took this in, nodding slowly. "The angel Bob, Jeep, and Kyle took outside - He sent them to, what, exterminate everyone?"

"Yes."

"Great, that's just great," she sighed. Then something occurred to her and she looked at him oddly. "At first I thought He might have sent you, but... you would have your wings or would be possessing some helpless soul if that were the case. You _fell_, didn't you?"

He said nothing at first.

Hearing it out loud sent a wave of shame straight through him. Falling was something he never imagined he would do, something he thought impossible for him to do, yet he'd done just that and sliced his own wings off with his blade.

Seeing her patiently waiting for an answer to the obvious, he replied quietly, "It was necessary."

She arched a brow. "It was necessary to commit the greatest offense in Heaven and cut your wings off? You're going to have to explain that one, Michael."

"Later," Michael said, hearing the others approaching. Not one of them was prepared for what was coming, not even Ava really, and they did not have time to discuss the situation with nightfall quickly approaching. "We have to get ready."

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